Kinder and Gentler, The Dud talks CentrePointe

Dudley Webb was on Kentucky Newsmakers with Bill Bryant over the weekend and it was quite a nuanced performance. One might even say humbled. Perhaps Dudley’s been taking lessons from Woodford.

Here’s the video, just over 8 mins of The Dud:

Some highlights:

–It was easier to develop in the 1980s because environmental and historic regulations have changed. So, today, they would have a harder time building an empty Festival Market or a mythical Coal Center or knocking down an entire block to… oh. Wait a second.

–Dudley talks, very briefly, about the mystery investor. First time that poor guy’s been mentioned in years.

–Some very positive words for Mayor Jim Gray, the help he’s provided and their working relationship.

–Very, very good things to say about Jeanne Gang, the designer.

–Investing remains a challenge, but they think they’ll get there.

–The $250 Million price tag has decreased to $150-200 Million.

–They would like to do it all at once, but this new plan can be done in phases.

–Do you regret the way you sprung the project on the public? “I do and I don’t. We just did it the way we’ve always done it.”

–”Got a little bit of push back from the patrons of the bars that were on the block.”

–There was other push back from people with different ideas “and I respect that.”

–”The good news is that most people perceive of downtown as theirs…” This comes after the 8:00 mark and is far and away the best example of the kinder, gentler, more genuinely open Dudley. It’s nice.

–As far as the phases, they think they can do the 10 story office tower fairly quickly and doing the retail around the perimeter is important.

–They’ve got interest from Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse as well as other major tenants like Chris Ruth Steakhouse (which seems redundant) and McCromick & Schmidt and others.

–Regarding the hotel: “We are exploring all the alternatives so we get it right this time.”

–Sometime this winter, they’d like to build the hole for the parking lot and go from there.

–Increments of 10, 15, 20 million dollars is very doable and could be done locally.

All in, as stated, this is a much more open and humbled Dudley Webb and for those who’ve suggested that perhaps the Gang-show is a bait and switch, it certainly doesn’t look like it here. If anything, it looks like Dudley has heard the cries and is learning some new tricks. Which is good.

As far as the groundbreaking coming this winter, I’d presume a significant amount of the funding would need to be in place. It doesn’t make much sense to build underground parking for the TubeTower if all they get on the block is a 10 story office tower… but, let’s cross those fingers and hurry up and wait.